Friday, May 31, 2013

It's time for another fun challenge at Jellypark Friends. This fortnight we're making cards using color palettes from Design Seeds. What a fun challenge this was for me. I had spent hours looking around there. There are so many gorgeous photographs and color schemes to choose from. If you ever get stuck and need something to jump start your mojo that's the site to go to. I finally decided on a fun and colorful scheme which happens to have lots of the same colors as a package of Close to My Heart papers I recently purchased. I just love all the bright fun colors together. I usually don't give away a card before I post it but this week we celebrated my Aunt Sis' 93rd birthday and she got the card.

For my aunt's birthday my brother took us out to eat at the Texas Road House which just opened up this week. It was one first visit so I was unfamiliar with the way they wish you a Happy Birthday. They bring a saddle mounted to a wooden base over to the table and the birthday boy or girl gets to sit on it. They told my aunt she could just stand next to it. But as you can see my 93 year old aunt climbed up on the saddle and she partied hardy. I wish you all have a good time on your next birthday as she did. Amazing!Here's the deets:stamp - Jellypark "Cake"ink - printerpaper - Close To My Heart "Dream Pop" miscellaneous - copics; Stampin' Up corner punch; dew drops; ribbon; Viva "Holo Irisdescent" glitter liner; dimensionalsHere's the challenges:Jellypark Friends - Use a Design Seeds color paletteTerrifically Thrilling Thursday - Show Us What You Got Crafty Ribbons #46 - Anything Goes with RibbonSimon Says Stamp - Anything GoesCreative Card Crew #37 - Punches/DiesRibbon Carousel RCC81 - CelebrationsThanks for stopping by, come back again.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

This week at Paper Pretties we'd like to see you emboss on your cards. Wet or dry, which ever tickles your fancy. Me, I couldn't decide so I did both. It's had to see either in the photo. The sentiment is embossed with powder and the red card stock is dry embossed. When I make a card for a man I don't like to use too many embellishments but I still like to do something special. Embossing is a great way to add some pizzazz.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

It's starting to look a lot like summer. At least when I see pinwheels I am immediately think of childhood summer days. I remember that sometimes the sticks were filled with little pieces of candy. These cupcakes make me want to run out and get a pinwheel, maybe attach it to the handlebars of my bicycle. But I digress...These pinwheels are for this week's Cupcake Inspirations Challenge CIC212 sponsored by Di's Digi Downloads.

Rather than running out to buy a pinwheel I went straight to my desk and right there on top was an envelope with some stamped and cut out pinwheel images. I was getting them ready so I could whip up some cards for all the summer birthdays coming up. The red, white and blue color scheme is perfect for Memorial Day and 4th of July. It's amazing how many people I know with birthdays falling on those holidays. Red, white and blue is perfect for this challenge too. So what will you create? There's lots of dies to make pinwheels and plenty of stamps too, but if you don't have any of them there's the color scheme or whatever else you think of when you see the photo. The sweeties look forward to seeing your cards so don't forget to link them up on the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge blog.

For a variety of reasons I'm very far behind with making cards with the weekly My Favorite Things sketches. Last weekend I went to the MFT retreat and when I got home I wanted to start using the goodies I brought home. And then there's the pile of stamp sets that I haven't gotten inky yet, not to mention the die-namics that haven't gone through my Big Shot. So this week I made a card for this week's challenge and then I made one for an old challenge. If I'm lucky I'll be able to make two cards a week and I'll catch up just about in time for Christmas madness. I'd keep my fingers crossed but it's too hard to stamp with crossed fingers so I'm just going to see what happens...Here's the deets:stamp - My Favorite Things "DC LJD Daring Dots" and "LLD Document It - Right on Target"ink - My Favorite Things "Steel Blue" and Ranger "Weathered Wood" for edgespaper - My Favorite Things "Steel Blue", "Sno-Cone" and "Whip Cream" card stock; My Mind's Eye "Six by Six - Meadow" patterned papermiscellaneous - My Favorite Things "Accent It - Feathers and Arrows" die-namics; cord; buttonHere's the challenges:My Favorite Things MFTWSC115 - sketch (closed)Sister Act #8 - Anything GoesTotally Papercrafts #168 - ButtonsPolka Doodles week 21 - To Die ForCute Card Thursday #270 - Tie It UpSouthern Girls - Going Spotty DotThanks for stopping by, come back again.

Friday, May 24, 2013

It's Friday! Yeah! Even though I've been retired for about three years I still love Friday. I guess after a lifetime of school and work it just becomes engrained in you. That and there's lots more fun events scheduled on the weekend. I hope you have some fun activities scheduled but I also hope you've left time for a little stamping because we've got a new challenge at Stampin' for the Weekend. The challenge runs for a fortnight and this time our theme is "Monochromatic". There was a time when I dreaded seeing monochromatic challenges. They seemed so boring, I love color and I don't like to be limited but this time I decided to go for it. Usually in monochromatic challenges if you're coloring a person they let you do skin and hair in other colors. This image was colored with copics and except for the eyes everything was done with "E" colors. If you're not a copic user the "E" are the earth tones. It's amazing what a large spectrum of colors there are in the "E's" They are my most used markers. After I finished up I realized I could have done the eyes in brown, I just always grab green or blue for eyes. I'll just have to remember that for next time.Keeping monochromatic I used a couple beige card stocks. I ran one of them thru my Big Shot with an embossing plate. To make it stand out a little I rubbed over it with a Ranger "Tea Dye" ink pad. The sentiment was written with a Bic fine point marker.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

It's time to get pretty. Every Wednesday Paper Pretties brings you to a new challenge. Today we're asking you to "Use Your Favorite Stamp". Now that's a great, fun and easy challenge. You can make any kind of card or project with your favorite stamp, it doesn't even have to be from Paper Pretties (but we'd love to see you use them), just remember to post it in the Paper Pretties blog so we can see it and you'll be entered into the draw for some digis.There are many Paper Pretties stamps that I love (anything with Sophia, the Sock Monkey, the Irish Blessings, the list goes on and on) but my favorite is "Sassy Shoes". I just love this set. I've blogged about this before but I don't tire of saying how much I like this stamp set and how well received every card I've made with it has been. What can I say, most women love shoes. I've purchased shoes I love and then found outfits to wear with them. I used to be able to wear spikey high heels but my feet are so wide it's rare to find heels like that in sizes wide enough for my feet. When I was younger I could tolerate tight shoes but not any more. So these days I mostly lust after the pretty shoes and search far and wide and high and low for shoes that not only look a little fashionable but feel comfortable on my feet. But I digress..The Sassy Shoe set has four different shoes and I love them all. It also has some trims to put on the plain shoe and a few sentiments. If you don't have this set you have got to add it to your stash. It's fun to use, and you can make a card fast. It doesn't need to be colored (of course you can color it if you'd like) so you can stamp it and put your card together right away. You just need to have your supplies and layout ready and you can put it together in no time. Here's the deets:stamp - Paper Pretties "Sassy Shoes" clearink - Versamark for shoe and sentiment; Stampin' Up "Soft Suede" for spongingpaper - Stampin' Up "Soft Suede" and Black card stock; Paper Pizazz "Wild Things Leopard" patterned papermiscellaneous - Stampin' Up "Soft Suede ribbon"; lace; black waxed linen twine; purse charm; Spellbinder's "Scalloped Square" die; Stampin' Up 1-3/8" circle punch and scalloped circle punch; bling; black embossing powder

Sunday, May 19, 2013

This is just a quick post. I'm either getting ready to go off for the weekend (a very fun weekend of play at the My Favorite Things Store) or I am there having lots of fun surrounded by and using all those stamps.If you're here hopefully you're a fan of the Pile It On challenge. To play along with us this week challenge #29 is to "Use Fabric or Felt". Our big rule is that you have to combine our challenge with at least one other challenge but we hope you're go for it and combine it with as many challenges as you can find. It's just for fun, so get inky and have some fun with us. We love to see what you create.

It's time for the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge and one of our fun sponsors is back. We've got a fun sponsor to go along with the fun cupcakes. Fresh Brewed Designs is our sponsor. If you're a coffee drinker or want to make a card for a coffee drinker they've got the best images. I am not much of a coffee drinker but most of my good friends are the type of people who can't start the day without a cup and most of them have received a card with a Fresh Brewed image on it. Even if you're not in the least bit interested in coffee there are other nothing to do with coffee images. For my card I used the Ladybug Teapot image. I happen to love teapots and it's perfect for this week's challenge. The good thing about teapot stamps is I never have to worry about them breaking. I once had a collection of teapots, several of them were on a set of shelves in the kitchen. After we remodeled the kitchen someone who shall remain nameless wanted to surprise me by rehanging the shelves while I was out. Somehow the shelf along with all the teapots on it hit the new tile floor. In case you've never had a tile floor let me tell you that when glass and pottery hits it there is not much chance of survival and the shattered pieces will travel far. Out of a dozen or so teapots one pot and one not matching lid didn't break. It was heartbreaking for me. I still have a few teapots that weren't on that shelf or were gifts after the fall but that fall pretty much knocked the desire to accumulate any more out of me. So I guess in the end it saved me some money. See there's always a bright side...Here's the deets:stamp - Fresh Brewed Designs "Ladybug Teapot" digiink - printerpaper - Black card stock; Black and White dotted paper from Oriental Trading; Rubber Soul "Garden Variety" all other papersmiscellantous - copics; mini brads; baker's twine; teapot charmHere's the challenges:Cupcake Inspirations CIC211 - photoSister Act #7 - Anything GoesDelightful - Bingo (Patterned Paper, Punches/Die Cut and Flowers)Southern Girls - Going Spotty DotCrafts and Me #133 - Use a DigiThanks for stopping by, come back again.

Friday, May 17, 2013

It's likely that you or someone you know is a nerd. You might even know an entire flock of nerds, or a google of geeks. If you have a kid in 7th or 8th grade then it's likely you're around a good deal of geeky or gawky kids on a daily basis. They're kind of cute in their geekiness. Then the latest Jellypark Friends release is just what you need. Our newest release is "Geek and Proud" and this fortnight's challenge theme is "Nerds and Geeks Shall Rule". You should have a lot of fun with that one, at least I did. So print out or stamp your favorite geeky image, have fun picking out some nerdy paper and put it all together to make a card for our challenge. Don't forget to link it up on the Jellypark Friends challenge blog so you've got a chance to win some digi images.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

A new Bronte and Bella posted today and I felt like playing along. It's "Red, white and Blue". With all the Memorial Day and 4th of July birthdays coming up I've at least got one card ready. Yeah! for little victories.

Here's the deets:

stamp - Mo Manning's "Kite" digi

ink - printer

paper - October Afternoon "Modern Homemaker" (red dotted); Close to My Heart Route 66" all other printed and card stock

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

This week's Paper Pretties challenge PWC258 is Graduation Cards. It's perfect timing. Graduations abound in May and June so show us those caps, gowns and diplomas. You could be the winner of some digi images so don't forget to link it up.

For my card I inked up "Graduation Zak". I think he's quite a cutie pie. Let me share a little secret. If you want your card to have a girl graduate on it and can't afford or don't want two graduation stamps you can turn Zak into a girl. In this post I made two cards with Zak. It' all in the coloring. Put a little more rouge on the cheeks, maybe a little color on the eye lids. I even gave him earrings. It was a fun experiment. Of course if you can just get the Graduation Lily stamp. She's a real cutie too.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Happy Mother's Day! I hope you all have the chance to celebrate the day with your family. At the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge we've got a new photo of gorgeously decorated cupcakes and a new sponsor - Downtown Tape. When Washi Tape first started popping up around the card blogs I was not quick to buy it. I figured I've got enough supplies to last forever already, I don't need to start accumulating anything else. Then one of the challenges in the Splitcoast "Dare to Get Dirty" challenges was to use Washi Tape, so I reluctantly made my first purchase. I was surprised at how much I liked it. Darn...

Since then I have picked up a few more roles and I've been looking around at different places to see how others are using it, It's so versatile it's amazing, If you do a search on it you'll find so many projects your mind will be boggles. Besides crafty projects it's used to decorate tons of household items. It goes onto surfaces very easily and as far as I've seen comes off effortlessly without disturbing the surface.

I used the red and white checkered tape on the outside and the inside of my card. This is not my usual style in that there is no stamping and there's lots of flowers. I'd day that it's the exact opposite of my style nevertheless I made it and I like it. I wanted to imitate the flowers on the cupcakes. The pink rose and purple violets are by Prima, the red ones were made with a die cut. and the leaves were made with a punch. If you're not a flowery person you can use the colors for your inspiration.

Friday, May 10, 2013

The Spotlight is back! If you're a fan of Jellypark Friends you know that the challenges are posted every other Friday. If you've been a fan for awhile you probably remember that we used to feature an image on the "off" week. It was discontinued for awhile but not it's back. If you're a newbie and don't know what I'm talking about, it's simple. An image is picked by our design team leader and any team member can make a card to showcase that image. Then we ask our fans to share anything they've created with the image with us. This is one of the times when you can share something that isn't new. That's right, you read me correctly, you can backlink for the Spotlight. feature. Leave us a comment so we can see how you used the image. This week we want to see what you've done with the "Girl and Kitten". If you'd like to purchase the stamp you can find it here.Here's the deets:stamp - Jellypark Friends "Girl and Kitten" digiink - printerpaper - Stampin' Up "So Saffron"; Bazzill "Intense Kiwi" and "Frosted Teal"; Cosmo Cricket "S'more Love"miscellaneous - copics; SU "Taken with Teal" marker; the Cat's Pajamas "Topper" die; Spellbinder's "Labels 18" and "Circles" dies; Martha Stewart tag punch; Twinkle Goosebumps; eyelet; twine; cat charmHere's the challenges:Crafty Catz #182 - Anything GoesCard Makin' Mamas CMM69 - PunchesCrafty Creations #221 - Something Old, Something New (the charm is old, the papers are new)Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

It's the weekend, time for to get some crafting done. So at Stampin' for the Weekend we've got a new challenge for you. This fortnight we want to see "Buttons" on your work. That's it - easy, peasy right? There's a good reason for you to play. We've got Bugaboo as our sponsor. Who doesn't want to have a few Bugaboo images in their stash? There are lots of cute images but I like the funny ones. Yesterday I was walking through Target, passing the card aisles and I heard the best sound in the world. Three women laughing hysterically. I imagine that when someone gets a card made with one of the Stella images from Bugaboo they are laughing when they read it. That's the best present you can give someone. So get inky and make a card with buttons on it, and some stamping, and link it up to our challenge so you will have a chance to win some Bugaboo imagesHere's the deets:stamp - Bugaboo "Frame It - Stella and Gus - Person to Annoy". digiink - printerpaper - My Favorite Things "Natural" card stock base; Bazzill "Hillary" card stock; October Afternoon "Sasparilla" patterned papermiscellaneous - copics; buttons; My Favorite Things "Layered Heart" and "Solid Bracket" border dies; burlap twineHere's the challenges:Stampin' for the Weekend - ButtonsWhat If Wednesdays DCC58 - Masculine Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

I'm so happy that the May challenge for the Cat's Pajamas is Clean and Simple. This is not my style but it is one that I like a lot and would like to do better. I pulled out some TCP stamp sets that I'd like to use so I should have a few to post over the next couple weeks.Funny thing is, the CAS card is supposed to fast and easy but if you're not proficient in this style it isn't very fast or easy. Technically some one could make this card in less than 10 minutes but if you don't have a clue what you're going to do or how you're going to do it, well, it takes a lot more than ten minutes. Here's the deets:stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Admit One"'ink - Stampin' Up - "Cherry Cobbler"paper - Stampin' Up "Cherry Cobbler card stock; My Favorite Things "Whip Cream" card stockmiscellaneous - SU "Bravo Burgundy" marker; the Cat's Pajamas "Big Ticket" cut up; heart embossing folderHere's the challenges:the Cat's Pajamas May - Clean and SimpleMoving Along with the Times - Clean and SimpleCrafty Ribbons #45 - No Designer PaperCrafty Sentiment - Use a SentimentPaper Playtime #9 - Emboss Dry or WetMy Time to Craft #220 - Sentiment as Main FocusThanks for stopping by, come back again.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

It's time for Paper Pretties challenge PWC257. This week we're asking you to use colored pencils on your card or project. WOW, I was surprised how much my skills have slipped. I've used prismacolor pencils for all kinds of art work for over 30 years. Then I found copic markers and for the last few years I've hardly touched my pencils. I never used mineral spirits with them and there are probably other tips and tricks I could learn. Well this challenge has given me somethings to think about - will I make time to practice and learn a different method or not. Stay tuned, who knows what will happen. In the meantime, it's your turn to grab some pencils and make a card for our challenge. Here's the deets:stamp - Paper Pretties "Sock Monkey"ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black" and "Danube Blue" for sentimentpaper - My Favorite Things "Banana Split" card stock; Recollections "Monkeying Around - Button Up, Funky Disco Spin and Sock Stripe" patterned papermiscellaneous - prismacolor pencils; Stampin' Up border punch; baker's twine; sock monkey charm; machine stitching; bradsHere's the challenges:Paper Pretties PWC257 - Use pencilsCutie Pie #43 - Lots of LayersSweet Stop SSS209 - sketchThanks for stopping by, come back again.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

﻿ I was going through my e-mail and I saw that Kelli Jo has made a post on Facebook shouting out that I rock. I had no idea why she posted that so I figured I'd go take a look at Facebook. Of course my poor old brain is so fried that I can't remember my Facebook password. I knew it for awhile but I kept getting messages that advised me to change my password. Between that and all the other places I have to have passwords I just can't remember them. But I digress... KJ was congratulating me for being named the Cat's Pajamas' Swanky Stamper for the month of May. Woohoo! That's a reason to celebrate. It also got me motivated to get out my TCP stamps and get them inky.

Inside of card

It's also the first Tuesday of the month so it's time for a new TCP challenge. This month it's a KISS or CAS card. Not my usual style but whenever I see a good CAS card it makes me swoon. One of my resolutions for this year was to make more CAS cards so the challenge is the perfect push to get some clean and simple cards.What I like about this card is that it can be made very quickly and it's flat enough to be put into a regular envelope and mailed at the regular postage rate and it doesn't have to be hand cancelled. I think I'll make a few more of these.Here's the deets:stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Jolly Holiday"ink - VersaMark for embossing and Memento "Gray Flannel for inside)paper - My Favorite Things "Sno-Cone" and "Whip Cream" card stockmiscellaneous - bling; silver embossing powderHere's the challenges:the Cat's Pajamas May - KISSPapertake Weekly - Anything Goes (extra use 2 stamps - I actually used 3)Paper Playtime #9 - Emboss (dry or wet)Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

On this side of the pond we're nearing Mother's Day so this week at Pile It On we want to see cards "For or From a Mom". Our sponsor this week is Bugaboo Digi Stamps. If you're a frequent visitor to my blog you know that I love Bugaboo. I'm particularly partial to the Stella line. However there are many, many others that I like. If you're not familiar with Bugaboo (is that even possible?) take a little stroll through the shop. I'm sure you will find lots of stamps you have to have. I know that's what happens to me every time I visit.If you're living in a place like England where they've already celebrated Mother's Day then make a card for your mom just because you can. As a mom I can assure that if I got a card from my child on any day of the year I'd be thrilled. If like me, you don't have a mom, or a mother-in make a card for a friend to tell her what a great mom she is. Make a card for yourself if you must, just make a card so you can have a chance to win the Bugaboo prize. Don't forget to link it up on the Pile It On challenge blog and enter it into at least one more challenge to be eligible. We look forward to seeing your creations.Here's the deets:stamp - Bugaboo "Words from an Angel - A Mother's Love" digiink - printerpaper - Bazzill "Petunia" card stock; Kaiser Craft "Hey Birdie" Collectionmiscellaneous - copics; dew drops; pink cord; flower charmHere's the challenges:Pile It On #18 - For or From a Mom2 Sisters #142- Bingo (gems/pearls, image, sentiment)Di' Digi Downloads - Anything But SquareCatch the Bug - Anything GoesSister Act #5 - Anything GoesFussy and Fancy #88 - Anything GoesDaring Cardmakers - Pale Pink, Mint and GoldChocolate, Coffee, and Cards #38 - Mother's Day/For MomSouthern Girls #68 - You Can Say That Again (use a quote or sentiment)Fab 'N' Funky #169 - Lots of PinkCreative Belli #168 - Spring (old embellie - when was the last time you saw dew drops?)Partytime Tuesday PTT118 - Anything GoesCreative Corner #17 - Flowers and/or Mother's DayBrown Sugar #40 - Mother's DayThanks for stopping by, come back again.

Here they are, the latest cute cupcakes for your inspiration for this week's Cupcake Inspirations Challenge CIC209. They look good enough to eat with yummy dark chocolate cake and yummier swirls of buttercream icing. The princess is probably marzipan, more yumminess. Thankfully, it's only a photo or I'd be noshing down and then regretting all the calories.

This week our sponsor is Stamp and Create. As you can see by the logo they are offering a $25 gift certificate to their store. That's a great prize, you can get a lot of goodies with that. So get inky so you can have a chance to win that prize. All of the sweeties are waiting to see your creations.

For my card I used the new digi image "Ballerina Katie". I think that with her crown and wand she's perfect for this challenge and perfect for a card for the little princess in your life. If your princess is a ballerina she'd love to get this card to celebrate her recital. It would also be cute for a "Thank You" card for the dance teacher. I also picked up the color scheme. Now it's your turn, be inspired and get inky.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Are you ready for a new Jellypark Friends challenge? Well it's here. This fortnight we'd like to see "Girly Girl" cards or projects. You can have a lot of fun using all your beautiful embellishments: flowers, lace, ribbon, pearls and bling are great choices for girly girl cards. Then there's flourishes and all those intricate die cuts that are the rage these days. Oh my goodness, there are so many things you can use to dress up your card. But if you're a clean and simple kind of card maker you can play along too. Pick out your sweetest image and some pink ink or paper and you'll be good to go.Here's the deets:stamp - Jellypark Friends "Fairy Tale Castle" digiink - printerpaper - Bazzill "Purple Palisades" card stock; Stampin' Up "Pale Plum" card stock; Recollections "Purple Ditsy Flowers" and "Purple Pin Dots"miscellaneous - copics; pleated ribbon; pearly lace; bling; My Favorite Things "Oval Stax" die-namicsHere's the challenges:Jellypark Friends - Girly GirlMilk Coffee - Lace and PearlsPapercraft Star #143 - Lace and Polka DotsCrafty Ribbons - Anything Goes with RibbonThanks for stopping by, come back again.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

There's a new challenge at Paper Pretties - PWC256 "Pink and Green". Ooooh, I like it! I started out coloring one of the Lily images but as I sat down to make my card I got hit with mojo (the sketch from this week's Mojo Monday just screamed "USE ME"!), and it wanted me to use a sentiment as my focal point. Well Mojo beckons, I follow. Paper Pretties has a good selection of sentiment sets. This one is from the "Irish Blessings" set. If you need to make a card in a hurry, or if you don't want to color an image the sentiment as focal point is a great way to go. If you have a layout ready and you know what papers you want to use you can make one of these in short time. Here's the deets:stamp - Paper Pretties "Irish Blessings"ink - Memento "Bamboo Leaves"paper - Stampin' Up "Certainly Celery"; My Favorite Things "Pink Lemonade"; K & Co. "SW Spring Blossoms"miscellaneous - My Favorite Things "Oval Stax", "Dainty Doily Duo" and "Fishtail Flags Stax" die-namics; Mays Art pleated ribbon; floral print ribbon; cord; charm; candy dots; machine stitchingHere's the challenges:Paper Pretties PWC256 - Pink and GreenMojo Monday #291 - sketchWhoopsie Daisy - Show Us Spots and StripesLove to Create #63 - Punches and/or DiesSweet Stampin' - Anything but BirthdayThanks for stopping by, come back again.